1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improvement of an article handling machine for automatizing article handling and handling articles such as cargoes by saving labor.
2. Description of the Related Art
As disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Sho 61 No. 263524, a conventional automatic and labor saving article handling machine includes an arm having an article handling hand. The hand picks up, in succession, articles such as cargoes transported by a transporting apparatus such as a roller conveyer or an endless belt and moves them to corresponding pallets.
The conventional article handling machine is of a type for holding an article by vacuum suction means or fingers, or a type of supporting the article in an optimum manner according to the shape of the article or the firmness of package. However, the article handling machine of any type is used only for holding an article. In a conventional article handling system in which, after pallets disposed at a predetermined location have been taken out in turn and articles have been loaded on the respective pallets in succession, the pallets together with the articles are transferred to another location, an apparatus for moving the pallets to said another location and an apparatus for taking out the articles must be separately provided. In the conventional article handling system, therefore, a pallet magazine for taking out pallets in turn and a conveyer prepared separately therefrom for transporting the pallets to said another location are utilized in addition to the article handling machine.
In such the conventional article handling system, the pallets can be transferred together with articles, but the article handling machine is only used for loading the articles on the corresponding pallets. The system requires other separate apparatuses such as a pallet magazine and a pallet conveyer in order to handle the pallets. In consequence, the conventional article handling system is encountered with a problem that it cannot be simplified in structure or cannot saves the floor space.